“The Built-In Speakeasy!” How Loaded Question Brewing Became Portsmouth’s Haven for Beer & Community. Plus, Problems in the Craft Beer Industry

**Seacoast Stories is celebrating last week's 50th episode with a Portsmouth West End Bar Crawl this Friday! ⁠Snag your FREE tickets today.⁠

Tom Bath remembers his first sip of craft beer like it was yesterday.

In the 1990s, the Pacific Northwest was at the epicenter of the craft beer explosion. And Tom, stationed in Seattle with the Navy at the time, soon fell in love with not only the beverage, but the culture surrounding it.

So after years of home brewing experimentation, 17 years of working at REI, and a cross-country move, he and two beer-loving co-founders decided to open what is now one of Portsmouth's most beloved (and secretive) hangouts, Loaded Question Brewing, in 2018.

From the Loaded Question taproom in the West End of Portsmouth, Tom joins host Troy Farkas to discuss the early days of LQ, why its community is so strong, collaborations with other Seacoast brands on projects like the Seacoast Stories IPA, a rough stretch for the craft beer industry, and more.

CHAPTERS:

• Bar crawl details (00:00)
• Tom Bath's introduction to craft beer in Seattle (00:48)
• Working at REI & moving to the Northeast (10:41)

• SPONSOR: We Fill Good (18:50)
• SPONSOR: Kim Vargo (20:22)
• The BTS of starting Loaded Question in 2018 (21:55)
• Problems plaguing the craft beer industry (29:45)
• LQ's unique approach to business (32:37)
• The Seacoast Stories IPA (37:02)

• LQ's birthday party on Saturday (46:00)

• Advice to younger self (50:40)

To learn more about Loaded Question, you can visit LoadedQuestionBrewing.com or follow them on Instagram @loadedquestionbrewing.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

• To streamline your annoying workflows, please visit ⁠⁠⁠www.kimvargo.com/contact⁠⁠⁠ and tell Kim that "Seacoast Stories" sent you for your free call and custom discount.
• When checking out at We Fill Good THIS WEEK ONLY, mention "STORIES" at checkout to receive 10% off your order.

To support "Seacoast Stories," can you FOLLOW the show on our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pages?